The city of Munich has opted to use the Debian version of Linux for a high-profile, 14,000-computer installation, passing over Novell's Suse Linux despite its regional popularity.

Debian is a noncommercial version of Linux, though some companies such as Canonical and Progeny have based products on it. Two regional companies, Gonicus and Softcon, will help Munich with the project, called LiMux.

Linux has been most popular on servers, powerful networked machines typically run by computer experts, but the open-source operating system is slowly catching on for desktop use in some areas. European governments are a particularly ripe market.

Gonicus and Softcon offered two alternatives, and Munich chose Debian, said Alfred Schroeder of Gonicus. The companies bid against IBM, Electronic Data Systems and Deutsche Telekom's T-Systems, among others, he said.